Indiana-Ohio Collaboration for Traumatic Amputee Rehabilitation Research

The Indiana-Ohio Initiative

• Collaborative effort between Indiana University and The Ohio State University

• IU:• School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences• School of Medicine• Indiana Center for Rehabilitation Sciences and Engineering Research

• OSU: • School of Allied Medical Professions • College of Medicine and Public Health

Partners: • Department of Defense• Department of Veteran Affairs• Board of Advisors

The Indiana-Ohio Collaboration(Research Team)

• IU:• Mark S Sothmann, PhD, Professor • Daniel Vreeman, PT, DPT, Assistant Research Professor• Chris Robbins, MPA, Research Associate

• OSU:• Stephen Wilson, PhD, Associate Professor Emeritus• Deborah S Larsen, PhD, Associate Professor

• Department of Defense:• Charles R Scoville, PT

• VA: • Bradley N Doebbeling, MD, Professor of Health Services Research &

Medicine

• Consultants: • Neil Oldridge, PhD, University of Wisconsin• Paul Dougherty, MD, Henry Ford Hospital

Current Situation

• Walter Reed has funding for a multi- million dollar, 30,000 square foot addition for rehabilitation

• Brooke Army Medical Center has begun construction on a new amputee care center

• Both Centers continue to advance their rehabilitative capabilities

• Pictured right: Cpt. David Rozelle, returned to active duty and another deployment to Iraq

Photo obtained from DoD Websitehttp://www.defenselink.mil/news/Apr2005/20050412_576.html

Need

• Staff at Walter Reed and Brooke Army do an exceptional job of healing the soldier’s bodies

• But there is little information available on outcomes over the lifespan

• Very little data about war amputee needs in relation to outcomes such as psychosocial adjustment, quality of life, prosthetics, economic well-being or chronic medical conditions

Vietnam War Traumatic Amputees

• By studying the Vietnam War veterans, we can learn more about the outcomes of traumatic amputees over the lifespan (30-40 years of living experience)

• The Vietnam War traumatic amputees number in the tens of thousands and provide us with a large sample for study

Two Critical Questions

• How can information on outcomes from the Vietnam era traumatic amputees help us develop better long-term rehabilitation practices for amputees from the present and future wars?

• How can the data we obtain benefit the Vietnam era traumatic amputees and others from past wars as they age?

Long-Term Health Outcomes of Traumatic Amputees

• DoD has sponsored research to address these two critical questions

• Relevant issues related to long-term outcomes may include prosthetics, psychosocial adjustment, quality of life, economic factors, access to health care, and associated medical conditions.

Overview of the Project

Hypothesis (or what we believe):

“United States military personnel who experience a traumatic amputation during conflict have unique rehabilitation needs in terms of their health status, health care utilization, economic, quality of life and psychosocial outcomes over their lifespan”

• Locate as many Vietnam veterans with traumatic amputation as possible to form a databank of thousands

• Establish key outcomes to be studied through focus groups of Vietnam War amputees and clinical and research experts

• Survey Vietnam War amputees nationally on key outcomes

• Establish the Indiana-Ohio Center for Traumatic Amputee Rehabilitation Research for ongoing research of war-related amputees

Overview of the Project

Protecting the Confidentiality of Vietnam War Amputees

• Confidentiality procedures have been approved by the Indiana University and Ohio State University Boards for the Protection of Human Subjects

• Confidentiality procedures have been approved by the US Army Medical Research and Material Command Human Subjects Research Review Board

Challenges to LocatingVietnam War Amputees

• With recent human rights legislation, contact information through medical records is hindered

• Treatment of Vietnam War amputees was decentralized in the VA system so no coordinated registry exists

• Veterans may not be using VA facilities due to employment or other factors

• Trusting enough to participate

Importance of Veteran and Amputee Organizations

• Endorsement of the project for the future health and welfare of war amputees

• Partner in devising a strategy to locate Vietnam War amputees

• Partner in broad dissemination of findings from the project

Contact for More Information and Participation

Website address:• www.vietnamwaramputee.org

Project Coordinator:Chris B Robbins, MPArobbinsc@iupui.edu(317) 274-4573